the dragon's pearls
by aervien
Summary: a collection of HuanZhuGeGe stories. 3: Zi Wei's lips twitched in amusement. Xiao Yan Zi was in high spirits and fine form today. Barely able to keep his eyes from her normally, Yong Qi would be completely lost tonight.
1. through the looking glass

i have recently reignited my love for this drama series - it was my first soap opera ever, and even now, i go back to it as my drama of choice when i need a laugh, or a romantic scene, or even an adrenaline pumping fight scene. it has literally everything, and it so full of cliches that you can't help but love it despite the atrocity your writing honor screams at you about.

in any case, here it is. my contribution to the pretty much dead fanfiction community. i bet when the remake comes out it'll grow though. for now, i am pleased to announce that ffnet now has two authors in this category, as opposed to nine stories written by the same author, who is quite wonderful for having carried on by herself.

**a note:** for certain phrases, i prefer using the chinese pinyin ( the romanization system ) simply because their meaning is not actually as important as their usage as court etiquette. this is the same for certain _chengyu_ ( chinese idioms made of four words ) whose poetic meaning would just be lost if translated directly. any and all translations will be found at the bottom of the chapter, if used.

enjoy.

_arya.  
__twentyten. august twelth._

_

* * *

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**through the looking glass**

She was ten and running from her latest owner. Her hands were rough with shallow scrapes that were nonetheless numerous enough to recreate a mocking imitation of her skin with copper blood and gray mud. Small, savage lines of swollen skin reminded her of painful leather, but the tiny creature ignored them with appalling stoicism for one so young. Instead, she stood there, high on a mountain nearly on the other side of Beijing from her old cage, and just stared at the red stone and golden roofs, blessed with dragons on every corner and lions to protect the inhabitants. At once, she felt a surge of anger, mixed with resentment and envy. Was she not Chinese, just like the people in the palace with all their fine clothes and golden lilies?

But the ugly feelings faded as quickly as they came, replaced with something she couldn't quite name with her limited vocabulary. It was an absurd feeling, this audacious hope that spread from her wild imagination, as she pictured the famed golden lilies upon her own feet, the ridiculously large headdress she had only heard about in the vaguest of senses. Xiao Yan Zi looked at her hands, taking in their pitiful image, and imagined them soft and pliant.

"Maybe someday I'll get there," she whispered to herself. If she were older, more jaded, she would realize that this was impossible, that in this China with this court and these people, she would never live through a time during which she, an orphan who didn't even have a true name, would be able to dance within those red, red walls and sip tea under those golden yellow roofs.

But she was only ten, and children have the perseverance of spirit attributed only to those too ignorant to know any better. Sitting on that mountain, Xiao Yan Zi closed her eyes and imagined another world.

.

Er Kang met the Emperor Qian Long for the first time when he was fifteen. It was not truly the first time of course. He had been in and out of court since he turned seven, as he studied with the finest court scholars, and seeing as his father _was_ the one of the most trusted advisors to the Emperor, it was only natural for him to have met the man as well. However, all meetings were brief and ceremonial, a simple exchange of courtly manners, before the man who touched upon the realm of the gods would sweep away in a procession of eunuchs and maids. Er Kang's impressions of the Emperor were thus generally objective. The Emperor was always ever the Emperor, and as much as Er Kang knew his younger brother spent hordes of time causing mischief with the Emperor's favorite son, the knowledge did not humanize the figure of the country's ruler in his mind.

So, at fifteen, when he was suddenly called by his father to accompany him to court, Er Kang did not expect to be ushered into the Emperor's study.

"Fu Er Kang greets the Emperor. May the Emperor live ten thousand years." The words slipped out of him smoothly, without any hesitation or warmth. They were said with the casual deference of someone who took their meaning for granted and received by the same sentiment.

The Emperor chuckled and immediately, Er Kang was wary of what was to happen next, but he needn't have worried. The Emperor turned to his father with wide smile and lifted a piece of paper from his desk.

"Fu Lun," he started, "do you know what this is?"

"_Hui huang shang,_" Fu Lun bowed just slightly, "_Chen_ does not know." (1) Er Kang stared at the paper. That couldn't be...

"It looks like your son knows though," the Emperor replied in a tone that could only be described as teasing. Er Kang slowly felt his image of his Emperor crack and begin to shatter. "Er Kang! What is this?"

"_Hui huang shang,_" Er Kang didn't need to look to know that his father's expression was of caution. "That is the essay I wrote in class two days ago."

"I see. Er Kang, tell your father what you wrote about in your essay."

Er Kang looked over at his clearly curious father and licked his lips. "I... wrote about the recent peasant protest in Wu Nan and compared how the magistrate there settled it with negotiation as opposed to the one last year in Su Zhou, where the magistrate had several peasants hung."

"And your conclusion?" the Emperor prodded him, one eyebrow raised expectantly in an almost stern expression that belied the satisfied smile on his lips. Er Kang could not for the life of him understand why the Emperor was acting this way.

"_Hui huang shang,_ I concluded that the negotiation most definitely resulted in a more profitable situation for both sides involved. Whereas the hanging did serve to quiet the protest, it should be noted that for the next several months, Su Zhou's commerce was noticeably slowed, and only increased with any significant gain after that particular magistrate transferred to another city. On the other hand, in Wu Nan, while there was no definitive change in economy, it should be noted that there is word that the crops there this year are doing remarkably well. Thus, it can be said that the relationship between the local government and the people have a direct effect on the local economy. If this is placed on a larger scale, it could be said that the relationship between the Emperor and the people also has a direct effect on the country. There are of course, other pieces of evidence, if the Emperor wishes for me to continue."

The Emperor waved his hand in dismissal, "No need, no need. Fu Lun! I do not think I need to tell you that I am extremely pleased with your son. Did you know? I asked his teacher to pass on to me the work of his most promising student and he handed me Er Kang's essay without hesitation," the Emperor grinned. "Fu Lun, to have sons like Er Kang and Er Tai is your Fu clan's fortune. I will leave Er Kang to you for one or two more years. But soon, I insist that your son begin to serve at my side. I am happy to allow Er Tai to continue to be my Yong Qi's partner. But Er Kang is clearly ready to enter court and start serving as his illustrious father does. I applaud your household, Fu Lun, for providing the fourth generation of the Fu blood to serve the royal family."

"_Xie huang shang en dian_!(2)" Er Kang bowed, speaking at the same moment as his father. The Emperor laughed then, loud and hearty, throwing his head back. His eyes crinkled as his lips curved, and he nodded in approval, as if they were both his sons that he was particularly pleased with. With a wave, they were dismissed, but even as the Emperor exited his vision, Er Kang heard his chuckle echo in his mind. This chuckle, he vowed quite suddenly, unsure where the thought was coming from but resolute in its sincerity, he would protect. For the sake of the country, but more importantly, for his father, for his brother, for his brother's obnoxious best friend the fifth prince, and for himself, so that they would never lose this giant of a man, who held all of China in his heart.

.

Yong Qi didn't know he was meeting the love of his life that moment. There were no sudden fireworks that only the two of them could see, no sudden heat that shot through his bloodstream. Her skin didn't burn to his touch, and his heart pounded only from the sheer exhilaration of the hunt that had been interrupted. Instead, when he held her in his arms, she simply felt heavy, like dead weight. Which, in a manner of speaking, she was, at the time. And when their eyes met briefly for the first time, he didn't feel his mouth go dry, nor did he feel his palms get sweaty. He simply observed that they were a deep, warm brown that was almost black in its depth - and that they were dying.

On hindsight, Yong Qi considered it rather fortunate that he didn't completely freeze up at the sight of a girl whom he had shot. Watching the doe leap away, he had suffered a shallow disappointment at not being able best the two brothers that were his companions along with an absent-minded reprimand from himself at his carelessness. These feelings were as shortlived as his arrow's flight, which went quite well until it halted in the middle of some nice flesh.

Later, when he finally saw Xiao Yan Zi awake, finally met her eyes head on while she wasn't dying, he still did not realize that something momentous had happened in his life. For all his book learning and martial arts skill, he could not for the life of him understand why this slip of a girl could incite the entire palace into one giant chaotic mess, why her silver tongue was so much nimbler than all their scholarly texts pouring from golden lips. How could she so easily enthrall the Emperor with her smile when she could barely make use of the simplest _cheng yu_ in the proper context?

( Then again, Yong Qi supposed that Xiao Yan Zi was always out of context and that was part of her charm. After all, who else could use a phrase about the Emperor and worms to make the emperor laugh instead of scolding her for dressing up as a eunuch to sneak out of the palace? )

But regardless of whatever it was that he first saw her as, at some point, something changed. At some point, in those dark eyes, he saw not her death, but his future.

.

It did not occur to Zi Wei until later that when she first bowed before Ling Fei, she was bowing to someone who held the position her mother might have held. This sudden realization hit her that night, when Jin Suo was already fast asleep and the entire Shu Fang Zhai was silent with satisfied slumber. Quietly, she had lain in the bed, thinking and overthinking as she churned the day's events in her mind. At first, she had been caught up in her first sight of her father, missing from her life for eighteen years. And then there he was, larger than life, clad in golden yellow, adorned with dragons. He had presence, he had stature and - Zi Wei cherished this the most - he had an easy smile, an honest laugh, and the affection he had viewed Xiao Yan Zi with was one hundred percent genuine. How she wished he would look to her like that!

But slowly, she had remembered the pink besides the gold, and Ling Fei's gentle presence had captured her thoughts once more. The concubine had been smiling the entire time, a small, serene smile that occasionally broke out into a larger, more amused smile - a few times at Xiao Yan Zi's antics, and one the moment the Emperor's presence had been announced. Here, Zi Wei had been faced with something not unlike resentment. This woman, whomever she was, stood there, basking the Emperor's gaze. This woman stood there where her mother rightfully should, and never would.

The surge of negativity was quickly stomped down - Zi Wei was too kind to bear a grudge towards someone who had no say or involvement in the entire matter, and deep within herself, she admitted that part of it was simple envy that was directed not only towards Ling Fei, but towards anyone who could look up and see the Emperor smiling down upon them with affection and love. Zi Wei had no desire to be a concubine of course, but where she could not allow herself to be jealous of Xiao Yan Zi, for fear of the ugly feelings tainting the much cherished bond between them, she allowed herself that tiniest bit of jealousy towards this beautiful woman that had just given her the one chance she had to make her most treasured dream come true.

Quietly, for the next few months, Zi Wei nurtured that jealousy. Never in public, of course, but inside. She did not fan it into a rage, but kept it smoldering her slightly like an ember, protecting it from being doused by Ling Fei's continually displayed smile. Silently, she apologized to the concubine, who she genuinely grew to love. This jealousy, however, was too important to her to let go, for letting go meant not that she had accepted Ling Fei's position in the Emperor's court, but that Zi Wei's place in the Emperor's heart was just as high as the concubine's.

.

Holding her first child in her arms, she smiled, almost secretively, and refused to speak to her curious husband.

"I got there," she whispered to herself in her heart of hearts. "I got there."

* * *

(1) _hui huang shang_. a mannerism. it simply means "responding to the emperor" and is said a lot when someone of a lower rank ( aka everyone ) that is not of his blood addresses him. _huang shang_ is the translation for emperor.

_chen_. a manner used to address oneself before the Emperor, used by... any males, it seems. females ( like Ling Fei and Huang Hou ) use _chen qie_. Yong Qi, his son, uses _er chen._ i've never heard Zi Wei or Xiao Yan Zi use it though.

(2) _xie huang shang en dian_. gratitude for the emperor's generosity.


	2. princess may you live a thousand years

the next one. already. back to my more prolific days? hopefully.

this one is **xiao yan zi** centric.

_arya.  
__twentyten. august fifteenth._

_

* * *

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**princess may you live a thousand years**

Her chest hurt.

Really, it should be quite obvious as to _why_ her chest hurt ( a piece of wood sticking out of your chest is generally a bad sign; the red color spreading across your pale blue clothes is probably a worse sign ) but then, she really couldn't think clearly at the moment. Her legs wouldn't really move the way she wanted, and it was all she could do to prevent herself from screaming from the sharp, angry signals her nerves were sending her. Really, she wanted to tell them with the coherency she did not possess at the moment, it wasn't _her_ fault some asshole had decided to shoot her. What had she been doing to deserve that? Sure, she had snuck into the hunting grounds that were currently sealed off due to the Emperor's visit, but it's not like she had tried to hurt any of them. Stupid imperial morons. Didn't even have enough sense to see that she was clearly a harmless young girl as opposed to some buff ninja dude with throwing stars aimed at the Emperor's neck.

Well, at least the guy holding her now was cute. Noting the consternation and shock on his face, Xiao Yan Zi had a sudden urge to smirk at him. Served him right for _shooting_ her, that bastard. Clearly his mother had never taught him how to treat a girl. ( Xiao Yan Zi would've taken back this comment had she known that Yong Qi's mother had, in fact, died several years ago, and thus had indeed never taught him how to treat a girl right. Even she wasn't that insensitive. ) Still, she supposed she'd have to forgive him on the grounds that he had brought her ( carried her like a sack of potatoes ) to the Emperor, albeit while she was _dying_.

Scratch that. If she survived this, she was going to avenge herself on that guy, whoever the hell he was. And if she didn't survive – well. He was doomed. Xiao Yan Zi would no doubt make a very annoying ghost.

.

"Xiao Yan Zi, you would make a very annoying ghost," Yong Qi told her dryly as she complained dramatically about how all this _studying_ would be the death of her. "C'mon. The sooner you sit down and study, the sooner we can let you out of the room to go practice martial arts." His voice was patient in the bland kind of way it could only be after repeating the same thing over and over again. Er Kang had taken Zi Wei into the other room to talk about Heaven knows what and Jin Suo had taken Min Yue and Cai Xia to make lunch for the lot of them. That left him with Xiao Yan Zi, alone.

With a giant book of _cheng yu_. (1) That he had written.

Sometimes, Yong Qi really hated himself. ( It was bad enough he was wasting his precious alone time with his fiance teaching her _cheng yu_ of all things - it had to be out of a book he had written himself? Talk about shooting himself in the foot. )

Nonetheless, he persevered. At least, as much as he could considering his student was Xiao Yan Zi. Who was _still_ ranting about how unfair his entire family was to her.

"Yong Qi!" Xiao Yan Zi's admonition jolted his attention back to her and her glare. "Are you _listening_?"

"Uh, of course," he hurried to assure her. "Xiao Yan Zi, I know you don't like to but -"

"No no _no_, you weren't listening! What is it with you imperial-blooded people? I swear your entire family's out to kill me!"

"I'm not!" Yong Qi began to protest, but he was rather unceremoniously cut off.

"Yes, you are! You were even the first one! You _shot_ me! In the chest! Right above my heart! If that's not a murder attempt, I don't know what _is_. And then your mother -"

"My mother's been dead for -"

"Fine, and then the _Empress_, who is still technically your mother, tried to kill me too! And then you tried again with Cai Lian -"

"Wait, what does Cai Lian of all people -" (2)

"You used her to make me jealous so I would get on a horse - that I didn't know how to ride, no less - and go galloping off and kill myself by falling off -"

"How is that _my_ fault that you were jealous and -"

"_And then_, when we came back, we tell _huang a ma_ about me and Zi Wei and he throws us in a jail cell to freeze to death!" (3)

"He wasn't trying to _kill_ -"

"And when we got out of there and thought everything was alright, your _grandmother_ comes back and then you people all try to kill with these stupidly complicated words _ again_ -"

"Xiao Yan Zi -"

"So then Er Kang has his stupid thing with Qing Er and makes me and Zi Wei so piss drunk your mother -"

"My mother -"

"So piss drunk _your mother_ dunks us in a giant tub of _freezing water_ and then Lao Fu Ye shuts us into a _freezing cell_ and tries to kill us off by giving us the flu or something and then -"

"Yong Qi?" Zi Wei's soft voice slipped under Xiao Yan Zi's rant to tap him on the shoulder. He turned to her and Er Kang with a sigh of resignation.

"She insists that my entire family has a vendetta demanding her life," he answered Zi Wei's unspoken question with a sardonic half-smile.

"Ah," Er Kang and Zi Wei both nodded in understanding. Side by side, the three watched as Xiao Yan Zi kept talking.

"_And then!_"

A pause as Xiao Yan Zi spun on her heel to pin Yong Qi down with her fiercest glare. Yong Qi blinked. What had he done _now_? He couldn't resist, prodding her, "And then...?"

"_And then your father goes and orders my beheading!_"

"Okay, fine, I'll give you that one -"

"What more evidence do you need that your entire family's out to get me? And then your mother -"

"_She's not my mother._"

"_Your mother_ sends assassins after us! _Assassins!_ With giant swords! To kill us!"

"Well, yes but -"

"But _what_? There's nothing to argue with there!"

"_But_," Yong Qi told her, refusing to be swayed, "_huang a ma_ still wants you to memorize this page of _cheng yu_ to recite to him tomorrow. So, if you're done, shall we try again?"

His fiance snarled wordlessly, stomped back to the desk, and practically broke the seat with the force of her sitting. Yong Qi grimaced. That look had been positively murderous.

Er Kang patted his shoulder. "Think of it as redeeming yourself," his friend advised.

Yong Qi gave him a strange look. "What for?"

"For trying to kill her before you even knew her name. I told you you'd regret trying to steal my deer."

* * *

the deer that yong qi was aiming at when he shot xiao yan zi was actually first spotted by er kang, who then got distracted by er tai's shouting "bear!". go figure. er kang has gotten his revenge.

(1) _cheng yu_. chinese idioms that use exactly four words. they're considered more sophisticated and scholarly.

(2) for those of you who have forgotten, cai lian is the girl from the first season that was insisting that yong qi had bought her and was following them around and pissed xiao yan zi off immensely.

(3) _huang a ma_. literally, imperial father. basically, the wicked formal way to say "dad" to the emperor.


	3. lucky colors, wed tonight

y'know, at first i thought i'd probably be mostly a yong qi and xiao yan zi writer, because they're my favorite, but i find i enjoy all the little platonic relationships as well. and i like zi wei better now that i'm writing her. well, time for some wonderful faux-sibling bonding time.

**zi wei and xiao yan zi**, on the art of lucky colors, both hers and xiao yan zi's. red is so overrated.

_arya.  
__twentyten. august twentieth._

_

* * *

_

**lucky colors, wed tonight**

"Zi Wei."

Sitting in front of the mirror, Zi Wei tried not to fidget at Jin Suo did her hair. Normally, she had no problem sitting still, but today was different. Today, her hair was much more important than it was any other day. Every lock had to be placed just so, and every hair ornament needed to match every other accessory on her body perfectly. It all had to be very firmly in place, so when they finally put the heavy headdress on her head it wouldn't move around and muss up the carefully placed swirls. Not that they wouldn't be messed up anyways - okay, backing away from that thought process now... she supposed it was a good thing they were in the process of applying massive amounts of blush to her cheeks; it would hide her actual blush at the moment.

"Zi Wei," her best friend repeated, more insistently.

Frowning slightly, Zi Wei turned just slightly towards Xiao Yan Zi, who was similarly dressed. A wry smile flirted along the edges of her lips, shadowing the easy grin beneath her sister's bright eyes. Xiao Yan Zi looked strange, all decked out in red and pearls, but then, she looked beautiful too. Xiao Yan Zi's large eyes and bold smile, high cheekbones with arched brows and long lashes - she looked beautiful in rags and cotton, let alone such fine silks that were available in the palace. Zi Wei giggled, imagining Yong Qi's expression as he slowly lifted that red veil to uncover his new bride's beautifully painted face. Smiling, Zi Wei wondered vaguely if she looked as beautiful, but pushed those musings aside. Though she was vain sometimes, the sin didn't affect her tonight. Nothing like that could affect her tonight, when she knew that soon, Er Kang would be waiting for her in a red chamber.

"_Zi Wei_," Xiao Yan Zi called out for a third time.

"Yes?" Zi Wei finally responded.

"Why red?"

Blinking, Zi Wei peered at Xiao Yan Zi curiously through her peripheral vision, "What?"

"Why do we wear red? Why not... blue? Blue's pretty! Or white? What about white?" The soon-to-be _wang fei_'s eyes were brimming with curiosity. Zi Wei's lips twitched in amusement. Xiao Yan Zi was in high spirits and fine form today. Barely able to keep his eyes from her normally, Yong Qi would be completely lost tonight.

"It's tradition," Zi Wei answered, knowing her answer wouldn't be good enough, but attempted anyways.

"Weird tradition," the other bride commented absently, moving just enough that Min Yue and Cai Xia protested and scolded her. "Red's the color of blood and bee stings and your skin after you get hit and all sorts of other bad things."

"Well, what would you suggest as a color then?"

Xiao Yan Zi paused and sat, thinking. A few minutes passed in relative silence as the three other lady inhabitants of Shu Fang Zhai finished up the brides' hair. All around them, maids rushed about, following Ling Fei's orders.

"Blue!"

Startled, Zi Wei looked at her. "Blue?" she wondered aloud.

Xiao Yan Zi grinned. "Blue!"

"Why blue?"

"It's the color of the sky!"

Zi Wei burst out laughed, shocking several maids and causing Ling Fei to give her a strange look before she smothered the laughter. Beside her, Xiao Yan Zi looked petulant, and Zi Wei rushed to appease her.

"I'm not laughing at you," she assured her fellow bride. "I just thought that that was really perfect." Zi Wei smiled, "Blue like the sky. Blue like the free-flowing water. The character _lan_ for blue could even be mistaken for the character _yan_ from very far away. It suits you."

Xiao Yan Zi beamed. "And you," she continued excitedly, "would be lavender! Because you're soft and feminine, but still so sturdy and strong, not weak like pink, but not too masculine like orange." She kept talking, slower now, as if she was thinking while she spoke. "And Er Kang would be... maroon! Because it's deep and manly, and if you take lavender and harden it to purple with added red for a male, you get maroon! And Yong Qi... Yong Qi would be..."

"Gold," Zi Wei supplied, smiling. "Like the golden sun that lights up the sky." Xian Yan Zi colored, but grinned in agreement.

Ling Fei walked over with their earrings, interrupting their conversation. When she left again, Zi Wei reached over and clasped her sister's hand.

"Tomorrow, when we meet again as married women," Zi Wei promised Xiao Yan Zi, "I'll come in to visit you, and I'll wear lavender, you'll wear blue, and we'll dress our new husbands in maroon and gold."

Grinning, Xiao Yan Zi clasped her hand. "_Yi yan wei ding!_"

* * *

(1)_ yi yan wei ding_. a _cheng yu_. translates to "a resolution has been set" or something like that. basically, "it's a promise!"


End file.
